Many people choose Christmas time to give the gift of a Disney vacation, so now that the mouse is out of the stocking and your kids know about your Disney vacation…what do you do next?They are going to have a million questions and if you had a penny for every time they asked “how many more days?” you could pay off your trip in a jiffy.
So now that the kids know how do you keep them involved enough to stay excited about the vacation but not so involved that you regret telling them about the trip?
Here are 5 tips for Disney vacation planning with kids.
- Start a countdown calendar: This is the #1 thing you should do for the sake of everyone’s sanity. You can create a vacation ticker that will digitally tell you how many days till your trip or you can make a paper calendar that you can color, cross the days off, etc. There is a great widget directly from Disney that will give you a vacation countdown clock as well as up-to-date offers, information, wallpapers and animations and a weather checker. It’s very fun and interactive but can be quite distracting and if your little one doesn’t have a computer of their own this could be burdensome to you to pull it up everyday and show them. Printable calendars are available and customizable. You can choose from a wide variety of characters and have your kids color them in or print them already colored. Hang it on the fridge with a pen or marker to “X” off the days.
- Order a vacation planning DVD. There is nothing like a visual aid to portray an experience and get you excited. The Disney Vacation Planning DVD’s (as well as Disney Cruise Line) are free and easy to order. Just go to the website and generate an account, put in your information and wait for it to come in the mail! They do take a little while so this is something you should pre-order if you want to give it as a way to tell someone you’re going to Disney.
- Make your customized maps. These maps are a great keepsake and you can order a new set every 6 months. These also take time to ship but are free and beautiful and something you can treasure! If you want to start letting your kids familiarize themselves with the parks and what they have to offer there are printable maps and online pdf’s of park maps. You can also view photos and get more information about each of the attractions on the Disney website.
- Pick your poison. There are so many things to see, do and collect you can quickly grow weary of your kids running your vacation. Here are a few good things for your kids to collect in the parks: Pressed pennies: these are wide spread through all the parks and cost .51 cents per penny. Yes, it costs you .50 to get a penny, but it’s pressed with a Disney character and can provide a really special memory. There are keepsake books to keep your pennies in and you can build your collection over the year. Character Autographs: You will find Disney autograph books for purchase at every retail location, but it can also be fun to have a personalized, customized autograph book for your child to collect their character autographs. I actually love making these! You can see some of my work on my facebook page. All of my books are custom made with heavy duty cardstock and double laminated…no one wants their memories melting away in the rain! For my friends at Chip and Co, anyone who books their vacation with me will receive these customized autograph books at no charge!
- Plan your attack: Santa may have come and gone but your Disney trip hasn’t and there’s no shame in using your pre-trip time to your advantage. Use your upcoming trip to prepare your children for what is to come. This came in handy when we were trying to teach my stepson responsibility and to get himself dressed in the mornings. “When we’re in Disney you are going to have to get ready quickly so we can get into the parks, so let’s start practicing…” This works in any situation you’re facing a struggle with “If you don’t eat all your food the characters won’t come to the table”, “if you are pouting it will make Mickey Mouse upset”. The possibilities are endless. This will also set a tone for what behavior is expected in the parks.
These are just a few ways to prepare your kids for their vacation. If you need help preparing for yours, I am a Disney Authorized Travel Agent and I’m more than happy to do all the work so you can have all the fun! All my services are free and will make your trip Pixie Perfect, email me for more information: Michele@PixieVacations.com
Special Offer for Chip and Co Readers: FREE customized, personalized autograph books for your kids when you book your vacation with me!
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